TO ATTEND

Saying it’s time to hear directly from the public, Salinas Mayor Joe Gunter will hold a citywide public meeting tonight on the proposal to put a public safety tax measure on the November 2014 ballot.

Gunter’s meeting – recently legally noticed by the City Clerk’s office so that all members of the City Council and city commissions can attend – comes in the wake of a series of district meetings on the tax issue conducted by members of the City Council this spring and summer.

“I really want to know what our citizens are thinking,” Gunter said. “This meeting is about giving our people a chance to tell us what’s on their minds – to tell us what their priorities are.”

The meeting will be held at Madonna Del Sasso School Student Activity Center and will focus how the city could generate new funds to repair and beef up Salinas’ emaciated police and fire departments and its code enforcement operation.

During the meeting Gunter is also expected to give a brief update on the CASP (Community Alliance for Safety and Peace) anti-violence strategy.

CASP has earned Salinas national recognition and enhanced federal support, including membership in the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention, a program established by the White House and organized by the U.S. Department of Justice.

“Our strategy is based on what has been proven to work in cities that have made big reductions in serious violence,” Gunter said in an earlier statement. “And when we’ve been able to put it into practice here, we’ve seen a better, safer Salinas. CASP is one of many great things we’re doing – things we could do more of if we had the resources.”

The meeting will cap official outreach efforts undertaken by members of the Salinas City Council on the issue of how to increase funding to the city’s public safety departments.

The next step will be handled by a voter research service, which is expected to conduct a poll to gauge voters’ opinions and priorities. The results of that research is scheduled to be presented sometime next month, officials said.

One of the questions expected to be resolved is whether a specialized or general tax ballot proposal will be put before the voters.

A general tax requires a simple majority to win and its new revenues can be spent any way the council majority sees fit. A specialized tax, by comparison, would require a 66.6 percent margin to win and could only be spent on the specific programs and services identified in the official ballot statement.

Any measure approved by the council would also likely include asking voters to approve modernizing the city’s utility tax. If OK’d, the city could start collecting tax revenues from the use of advanced electronic devices like smartphones and tablet computers.

Those who can’t attend the meeting are invited to voice their opinions by recording a message at (831) 758-7490, or by taking an online survey at www.ci.salinas.ca.us.